Yes, boot game is totally allowed in warm weather. Summer gave us a perfect example in this snap from Instagram, which demo'd look stuffed with the most enviable casual cool. The key to the style is using sufficiently relaxed pieces, but pairing them in a way that's un-boring. Summer accomplished that with a muscle tee splashed with marigold at the shoulders. That bright color pop gave this look a huge boost. Reach for your fave bright cropped (or knotted to cropped-length) tee as a starting point.(Hint: make a standard-sleeve tee into a cap-sleeve silhouette y rolling the sleeves. Don't fuss over flat, even perfection - crinkled is good!) Alternatively, go for a cute cami with stripes or a fun detail like tie-shoulders (or both). Summer's look has a pared-down urban girl vibe so leave the lace, ruffles and peplum styles at home for this one. Do consider a classic ribbed tank, though! The easy grit of this pairing - especially with boots! - lends itself perfectly to that option. Pair with shorts - cutoff (or rolled) denim is top of the list. Any wash will work. Cargo shorts are a 90's-referencing alternative. Or, ramp up the city vibe with a leather pair. Add flat or low-heeled ankle booties of almost any iteration. Suede works, leather works, hardware works, any neutral color works. Go light to nil on the baubletry. To keep the look out of "this is what I had on last night and I don't care" territory, make sure to add a bit of polish with your hairstyle - a messy bun or cute high pony does the trick. The last crucial accessory? Oversized sunnies! They add just the right dose of casual glam to the chilled-out cool of this styling. I hope this inspires you to show off your boot game a bit this summer :) Happy fashioning, loves!
0 Comments
When I saw this shot of Cara Delevingne on her promo tour for her movie Valerian and The City Of A Thousand Planets, it immediately had me flashing back to Maryse's looks from last summer, where she unveiled an amazing crystal accessory, set above black clothing. I love Cara, but sorry girl - divas done it first ;). The basic concept of the look still holds it power - that's the genius of an iconic styling spiced up with a handful of statement modernity. Cara's simple black suit is gorgeous - streamlined, minimal, flawlessly tailored. She added some intrigue by wearing it without an underlayer, but the main impact of the look comes from her magnificent crystal capelet. The styling is so unusual and bold, yet still has that element of classic sophistication. She echoed the capelet with her crystal-embellished sandals and brought in a sweet, feminine twist with her black hair band. Maryse went with a glamorous body chain, set above a black bodycon dress. The principles and effect are the same: chic, modern glamour. Cara's pixie cut keeps her look refined, while Maryse added polish via a ponytail.
If you're head-over-heels for this look, you can recreate it with a little black something. Both Cara and Maryse's looks come off fairly formal, but a black monochrome pairing of slim twill or ponte pants, skinny jeans or shorts will begin this styling on a more casual platform. Bear in mind that laidback pieces will be elevated by the dramatic presence of the crystal jewels. If you're going for pants, choose a cropped silhouette or roll full-length pieces (that's to show off your shoes ;)) Keep your second piece simple: a plain, refined tee, a classic black button-down. Avoid prints, lace or other complex fabrics like mesh or distressing (we're going to zigzag around grunge-glam here) or busy embellishments like ruffles, embroidery and tulle. Sleeveless and one-shoulder necklines are do-able, though! For shoes, if you own crystal-embellished sandals, grab those first! (Be-crystalled flats totally allowed!) Other options include solid black sandals - avoid anything especially informal like espadrilles - and crystal-studded pumps. Simple black pumps or peeptoes can work as well. Now, to the coup de grace: the crystals! I don't know too many fashionistas who have a crystal capelet on standby, but if you do, now is the time to rock it! Ditto if you own a crystal body chain. The rest of us get to be a tad more creative. Create a statement by piling up the crystal pieces you own - set a choker necklace above a collar or layer multiple chains of different length. Reach for statement rings or bangles, or trendy, unique pieces like ear cuffs. Concentrate your sparkle in one area: ears or neck or wrists+hands. Or, go with more delicate jewels scattered throughout your look: blend glittery earrings with a delicate ring and add a station necklace at your waist as a belt ( you can clip two together if they're short. Swag the end (clip it unobtrusively in place with a small silver safety pin), or let it dangle. Start with what you have and imagine from there how you can blend the pieces for best effect. I hope this inspires you to get your Maryse (or Cara ;)) vibes on sometime soon :) Happy styling! I went head over heels for this dress of Renee's when she wore it to the Wrestlemania Hall Of Fame ceremony. I would 100% wear this dress with a denim vest or jacket and sneakers for date night, a picnic, a girl squad meeting. But if you're not quite ready to jump that far off the night-for-day diving board, it's easy to be inspired by Renee's look in a subtler way. Her printed floral gown was to the informal side for a black tie event, so she elevated the styling by pairing it with black satin sandals. So, how about reversing that formula? Go floral on the finish. Instead of reaching for an all-over printed outfit, do a black monochrome look. Pair a simple tee with tie-waist satin shorts, or a pretty blouse with cutoff denim. The key is to mix something more formal with something more laidback, a la Renee. Complete the pairing with floral footwear. I love the pop and summery vibe of ankle strap sandals, but pointy toe flats or floral sneakers will work nicely as well. The florals really take on a big presence when set against a black outfit - not only does the color stand out, but the softness of a floral creates a more startling contrast against a dark, solid canvas. It's like a textural contrast without the texture. Conversely, the chic, moody power of black undercuts the garden-y sweetness of the print. It's a perfect example of the dramatic tension of opposites. Consider adding a floral statement ring or necklace to reinforce the beauty and colors in your shoes.
Alternatively, be a little more direct: keep the fancy-shoes-to-elevate-the-look concept, but dial the whole clothing situation back. The theory still holds. Renee's sandals add polish and formality to her gown because of the material they're done in - the sheen of satin always gives it a dressier vibe. So grab your nearest pair of satin shoes and design your look around it, from the bottom up :) Almost any satin pair will work: sandals, pumps, flats. Because your shoes are so formal, the rest of the look should stay refined, but chill. Pair a simple tee with a ruffled wrap skirt or a denim pencil piece, staying within a monochrome neutral color family. If you're craving texture, add it with one lace, crochet, eyelet or sheer-accented piece, but keep item #2 basic. Or, do an A-line (pencil will work nicely too!) floral skirt (or trousers) that includes the color of your shoes within the print. Either way, lean toward a minimalist silhouette and matte materials to help create the laidback vibe that will contrast with the formal sheen of your shoes. Stay with the edited aesthetic for your baubletry - simple stud earrings, a pearl collar. Note: Annabelle @ Viva Luxury has a great example here of pulling this styling off using pants. Her graphic tee is super chill, her cotton cargo pants are a shade more polished. Her leather jacket ups the pants a notch, but the whole look is solidly under the heading of "Casual"...until she gets to her blush satin heels with their crystal accents - they make it fierce! To highlight the difference for yourself, block out just her shoes in a full-outfit pic and imagine the look with sneakers or ankle boots. I hope this inspires you to play with some floral/monochrome and laidback/satin pairings sometime soon :) Happy styling, loves! I love the secret-garden-esque feel of this look from Lana! The simplicity, the mix of luscious colors, the 70's vibe of her flared jeans- it all harmonizes flawlessly in a way that is both appealing to the eye and casually stylish. The key piece in the outfit is her statement jacket and it showcases the raison d'etre for this kind of item: there's no need to do much beyond using it - it makes the look come alive in and of itself. Replicating her outfit exactly, with that long-sleeved bomber, would be a bit toasty this time of year, even without an under-layer (unless you own a sheer or lace one, in which case, have at it! ;)). A kimono makes a fitting metamorphosis for this season. It's spot on trend and the lightweight, floaty fabrics that are the silhouette's usual fare are cool, comfortable and come in a gorgeous array of colors that have the same exuberance as Lana's jacket. To get the 70's vibe, grab a pair of wide-leg, flared or bootcut jeans in blue denim. Alternatively, polish the styling up with wide or straight leg chinos. Add a basic tank on top. This will be a 'blank canvas' item, so it can be almost any iteration as long as it's body con or body-skimming and a single color - choose a neutral or, go brighter and pull a shade from the kimono's pattern. Toss on your topper. Finish with coordinating sneakers (or platformed chunky heeled sandals ;)) and a subtle choker and boom! Done! Too easy, right? Unleessssss...you don't have a kimono yet. Don't panic! It's gonna be fine :) Go with any floral jacket (bomber, blazer, trench) but instead of putting it on fully, as Lana has, just toss it over your shoulders. Or, grab your widest floral scarf and toss it over one shoulder so that one end points to your toes and the other end points at your heels. Add a belt to keep it in place (as shown in the far right and far left pics here.) If it's wide enough, don't scrunch it - leave it open to full width so that it drapes off your shoulder toward your elbow, like a sari would. I hope this inspires you to make a colorful, floral statement sometimes soon :) Happy styling, loves!
This look from Renee reminds me of my pretty much perpetual fashion in high school, minus the awesome hair. In those days, I was still in the "fighting with my tresses" phase. Have I ever mentioned how much I love buns and ponytails? Their respective inventors should be kissed. Also given plaques. It's a total tribute to Renee that she's making the shacket work here. Unless you are a magical fashion goddess (and sometimes even then...), it's waaay too easy to fall into the "I'm so busy adulting/almost-adulting that I don't even care how I look" look. The tricky part here is the whole shacket concept and we're gonna talk about that because you can make this über-cool, casual look function for you, even on days when you're not feeling like the magical fashion goddess you are. First, the easy part: slim or skinny bottoms. The simplest way to make oversized or flowy on top work is with form-fitting on the bottom. It's a proportion-play that's 101 go-to. Do leggings, do vegan leather, do track-striped polished knits, do denim - it's all good, as long as it's leg-hugging. Ditto your underlayer. Body-skimming, body-kissing, body-con: it and your body are ca-lose. Like, bff close. Ok, to the trickier aspects we go! Renee's look works here for a couple of reasons. First, she's wearing an actual shacket, with has a jacket-type styling and a little more heft/stiffness to the fabric than a shirt. Also, it has a straight hem, instead of a shirt-tail hem (rounded at the bottom, curving upward toward the hips, making a u-shape when viewed from the front or back). If you have a shacket, feel free to employ it here. [Note: Renee's does have a bit of drop-tail hem (longer in back than in front), but that doesn't have a relevant effect on this styling]. A straight-hemmed shirt creates a more polished, jacket-like connotation, which is something to keep in mind if you're doing this look with a shirt. The challenging part about that option is that a button-up shirt doesn't have the same polish as a jacket and leaving a basic, shirt-tail hemmed shirt open over a tank top is a really quick route to Soccer Mom territory. (No offense to Soccer Moms; I get it - life's busy, practicality rules.). You can segue around that avenue in a couple of ways. Go for a button-up tunic (duster and other unexpectedly long lengths encouraged) , instead of a shirt, especially one in a more sophisticated fabric (i.e. silk or voile). Avoid stiff woven cottons. To up the chic factor, keep the color story minimal and bold: black and white, red and navy, beige and graphite. Don't worry about the formality of a fabric like silk. It won't feel fancy when you complete the look with sneakers or flat espadrilles; it will be just enough to elevate the outfit. Ditto with voile. Note: with drapey fabrics and this longer length, you can also button or partially button said tunic if you so desire. If you're sticking with the standard-length button-up, def skip the leaving-entirely-open part. There are easier ways to do casual ;). Try knotting the shirt in front as low as possible to create a slouchy feel (don't button the rest of it up - the deep 'v' that's created will elongate the line of your body). Or tuck it in and button only the bottom button for another variation on the same theme. Alternatively, use an oversize shirt and create your own asymmetrical hem by doing up two or three central buttons using a button-hole that's one or two holes below the one straight across from the button. The fun thing about these knotted and partial-button options is that you don't need a super-drapey fabric, which opens up linen for consideration and all the amazing summer shades it's available in: aqua, lilac, tiger-lily, lemon. Yum, right? :) Finish with block-heeled sandals or wedge espy's in a coordinating color or light neutral. Lastly, amp up the stylish intent on all these variants with a polished hair style: a sleek pony, a refined bun, pretty braids. Happy casually cool styling!
Something about high summer makes me think of LayCool. Their urban-glam aesthetic just lends itself to parties under the sun, running on into steamy nights, when you want to be casual but not bland. Fashion has moved on a bit from 2009 and there is no doubt the stylish ladies of LayCool would have adjusted their looks appropriately. I'm thinking they'd have gravitated to a vibe similar to Hailee Steinfeld's recent turn in Julien MacDonald on the daily. Given that we don't have a multitude of newly devised tv and 'shoot looks to inspire us, as in their glory days, what's a fierce girl with an ever-LayCool heart to do? Metamorphosize that storied past forward into the right now, of course!
The Famous and Flawless set of 'shoots were some of my favorite LayCool looks, nailing their style sensibilities perfectly. This one, with its tank-and-shorts combo, is made for summertime. It adds glam to a basic white tank and black cut-off denim pairing by going with a sequined version on top. If you're recreating this, there's no need to be tied to the color choices: pretty much any shade of sequins will work just as well. For fitted pieces, try the LayCool full tuck; go with a front or side half-tuck if your tank is boxier. The ladies styled this look with the leather OTK boots that were fashion's craze at the time. Right now, I can't help but think they would have embraced the athleisure trend and ditched the boots for a totally fab pair of high-top sneakers. Since they are LayCool, they'd have gone with these Guiseppe Zanotti's, but those of us not willing to spend a month's earnings on one pair of shoes can 100% do this look with any streamlined pair of black sneakers. Tone down the lashings of glam by swapping the studded belt for simple leather in white or black. As an alternative to sequins, consider a metallic tank - Michelle and Layla would def give that their stamp of approval! If a cleaner palette is more your thing, consider a tank or tee with a metallic or sequined embellishment, rather than full-on shine. As with the above and below, keep the palette simple (no floral prints, no dots), stay with tanks or tees (no cami's). Racerbacks allowed. Eschew feminine embellishments (no ruffles, please). Add a bandeau under sheer, drapey pieces for coverage and an au courant vibe. Consider skipping the starkness of the black denim and going with blue of any hue. Feel free to up the fierce with a studded belt, or keep it coolly chic with plain leather. LayCool would likely have left us drooling by completing the look with something likely these insanely fantasmic DSquared sandal booties. If you happen to own a pair of insanely fantasmic sandal booties, feel free to unleash killage accordingly. Alternatively, play up the tougher side of this look by finishing it with urban or Western-inspired hardware-embellished chunky-heeled booties. Still too much glam? No prob. Keep it simple, keep it black. Tank (studs and other touches of metal or crystal = allowed, but 100% unembellished is also completely workable). Add skinny denim. Lend some pizzazz with a statement belt: be-crystalled, be-studded, be-sequined. A charmeuse satin or sequined scarf at the waist works too. Finish with a spark via silver strappy sandals. LayCool's choice would be something like these Gianvito Rossi Portofino heels with the haute-couture feel of their super-high ankle strap setting, but nearly anything shiny and strappy (except flip flops! :)) will work nicely. Happy warm-weather-holiday styling, Fancies! How about a little Americana inspiration from an Aussie today? :) I loved the super clean, minimalist vibe of this look from Emma when I saw it. While she took the white and blue combo into straight-up sporty territory with a cropped hoodie and sneakers, it immediately occurred to me that it would make a great base for a Fourth of July look. The sweatshirt might be a tad steamy for the Fourth -even with the included ventilation of the cropped silhouette :) - so I re-imagined the styling with less toasty pieces. The starting formula is about as classic as it gets: blue jeans, white shirt (are you humming a Lana del Rey song yet? Sorry ;)). Almost any iteration of blue denim will do nicely here: shorts, cropped, full-length, distressed, non-distressed. I would lean toward the classic summer-y vibe of medium-to-light blue washes, but darker ones will work in a pinch. It's a similar theme with the white top. Consider an au courant feminine blouse with a touch of ruffle, embroidery, lace, eyelet, etc. Go with an iconic white tee in any silhouette from slim to slouchy. Do a version of the scalding hot off-the-shoulder top. It's all a go, so pick your passion! With a classic combination like this, one way to spark it and make it feel fresh is to finish it off with unexpected accessories. (Doing said accessories in a scalding shade of red doesn't hurt either ;)).Whatever direction your top leans in, choose shoes and/or baubles that act as a foil. Contrast the formality of the femme blouse with easy and casual mules. Add polish and elevation to the tee with block-heeled pumps or strappy red heeled sandals. Tie a rolled, small square scarf at your neck and turn the ends to your back to approximate a choker. Use sneakers and a baseball cap as a sporty counterpoint to the flirty drama off the off-shoulder piece. I hope this inspires you to tweak a classic for your Fourth of July picnics, fetes and various whatnots. Happy fashioning!
|
Welcome to the place where wrestling & fashion join hands. Inspiration. Reviews. Musings. Retros. FASHION. Covering and craving gear to gowns since 2011. May the Fierce be with you! ;) Peace & Glitter!
AuthorBrie: shoe-lover :) fashion-lover and generally glamorous semi-dork Archives
July 2019
Categories
All
Photos used for criticism and comment under US Copyright Act Section 107.
|